You can now renew your high risk work licence online. Visit the Service NSW website to make sure your email address and mobile phone number are up to date.
Generally, in Australia, you need a high risk work licence to do any high risk work that is residential, commercial or industrial, regardless of the cost or size of the work.
High risk work includes operating specified machinery, erecting scaffolding, and undertaking dogging or rigging work.
You are not required to have a high risk work licence if the work is:
To do high risk work you must have the correct skills, qualifications and experience so the work you do is safe.
Your manager or employer must ensure you have direct supervision while you are carrying out high risk work.
You must show your supervisor your high risk work licence with the relevant class or classes before you start the work.
However, you do not need a supervisor if it is impractical or unnecessary to directly supervise the task you are doing, and the reduced supervision does not place you or anyone else at risk of harm.
You need your licence to include the relevant class for every class of work you do, and you can add classes to your licence at different times.
Learn more about the different licence classes below:
There are 2 classes of forklift work:
This licence class allows you to operate a forklift truck, equipped with a mast and an elevating load carriage with a pair of fork arms or other attachment. This licence class is not for an order picking forklift truck.
This licence class allows you to operate an order picking forklift truck where the operator's controls are incorporated and elevate with the load carriage/lifting media.
If a telehandler is fitted with forks or a bucket, a high risk work licence is not required. However, the business (or employer or other person conducting a business or undertaking) has a duty of care to ensure workers have appropriate training to operate a telehandler.
Visit Safe Work Australia for information about:
There are 3 classes of hoist work:
This licence class allows you to operate a telescoping device, hinged device, or articulated device (or any combination of these) used to support a platform on which personnel, equipment and materials may be elevated to perform work and where the boom length is 11 metres or more.
The length of the boom can be measured in two ways. Use the longest meausurement of the following:
A boom-type elevating work platform high risk work licence is required when operating a telehandler fitted with a personnel box with operating controls in the box and the boom length is 11 metres or more.
With this licence class you are only allowed to hoist goods or materials. You cannot hoist personnel. The hoist’s car, bucket or platform is cantilevered from, and travels up and down externally to, a face of the support structure.
This licence class allows you to operate a hoist in which personnel, goods and/or materials may be hoisted, and which comprises a car, structure, machinery or other equipment associated with the hoist, and which may be either a cantilever hoist, a tower hoist, or a multiple winch operation.
This licence class allows you to carry out work involving the application of slinging techniques to sling a load (including the selection and inspection of lifting gear) and/or the directing of a crane/hoist operator in the movement of a load when the load is out of the operator’s view.
You must hold the dogging class before you can progress to the rigging classes.
Rigging work is the use of mechanical loadshifting equipment (and associated gear) to move, place or secure a load using plant, equipment or members of a building or structures to ensure the stability of those members, or the setting up or dismantling of cranes or hoists.
There are 3 classes of rigging work.
This class includes dogging work and allows you to carry out rigging work involving:
Excludes additional rigging work included under Intermediate and Advanced rigging.
This class allows you to carry out all basic rigging work plus rigging involving:
Excludes rigging work involving equipment listed below under Advanced rigging.
This class allows you to carry out all intermediate rigging work plus rigging that involves:
There are 12 crane classes and one reach stacker class. These classes allow you to carry out work involving:
See the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 for more detail on the different crane and reach stacker classes.
Non slewing mobile cranes greater than 3 t capacity (CN) and which incorporate a boom or jib that cannot be slewed.
Note: Does not include vehicle tow trucks.
Slewing mobile cranes incorporate a boom or jib that is capable of being slewed.
Note: Does not include front end loaders, backhoes, excavators and other earthmoving equipment when configured for crane operation.
There are four classes of slewing mobile cranes, each with a different capacity:
If a slewing telehandler is fitted with a boom and/or jib with a hoist rope and/or hook block, a C2, C6, C1 or C0 high risk work licence is required, dependent on the telehandler's rated capacity.
Vehicle loading cranes with a capacity of 10 mt or more (CV) are mounted on a vehicle to move a load onto or from the vehicle, including the application of load estimation and slinging techniques to move a load.
A CV licence holder can operate a vehicle loading crane and conduct the full range of slewing operations without holding a slewing mobile crane licence, so long as the:
Reach stackers greater than 3 t capacity (RS) are mobile stackers that incorporate an attachment for lifting, moving and travelling with a shipping container, but does not include a portainer crane.
Derrick cranes (CD) are slewing strut-boom cranes, with their booms pivoted at the base of a mast, which are:
Portal boom cranes (CP) are boom or jib cranes mounted on a portal frame that is supported on runways along which the crane travels.
Bridge and gantry cranes (CB) are a bridge crane or gantry crane that is:
Tower cranes (CT) are a jib or boom crane mounted on a tower structure, demountable or permanent, including both horizontal and luffing jib types.
Self-erecting tower cranes (CS) are where:
Concrete-placing booms (PB) are knuckle type articulated booms, capable of power operated slewing and luffing to place concrete by pumping it through a pipeline attached to or forming part of the boom of the crane. Includes both vehicle and satellite mounted units.
Scaffolding work is the erection, alteration or dismantling of a temporary structure erected to support a platform from which a person or object could fall more than 4 metres from the platform or the structure.
There are 3 classes of scaffolding work:
This licence class allows you to carry out scaffolding work involving:
Excludes additional scaffolding work included under Intermediate and Advanced scaffolding.
This licence class allows you to carry out all basic scaffolding work plus scaffolding work involving:
Excludes additional scaffolding work included under Advanced scaffolding.
This licence class allows you to carry out all intermediate scaffolding work plus scaffolding involving:
There are 4 classes of work involving pressure equipment:
This licence class allows you to operate and use a reciprocating steam engine containing a piston of 250 mm or more in diameter, including expanding (steam) reciprocating engines.
This licence class allows you to operate and use a steam turbine that has an output of 500 kW or more, and:
This licence class allows you to operate a standard boiler with a single fuel source that does not have a pre-heater, superheater or economiser attached.
This licence class allows you to operate a boiler, including a standard boiler, which may have one or more of the following:
To apply for a high risk work licence, you must:
You cannot apply for a high risk work licence unless you have completed the relevant training and been assessed as competent.
Before you start your application for a new licence or class, make sure you have:
There are laws you must follow to ensure your safety, the safety of the community and to meet the requirements of your licence.
High risk workers and their employers in NSW must follow the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation 2017.
High risk work licences last for 5 years but any classes you add later will expire at the same time as your licence. For example, if you get a licence in 2022 it expires in 2027. If you add a class in 2023, both the licence and the new class will expire in 2027.
You will need to go to a participating Australia Post in person to apply. You need to do this within 60 days of receiving your Notice of Satisfactory Assessment from your SafeWork NSW assessor.
You will need to take:
Visit Service NSW for instructions and help to find a participating Australia Post office, or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.
SafeWork NSW will:
You need to renew your high risk work licence before it expires. You can’t do high risk work with an expired licence.
We will email and/or send you a text message about 60 days before your licence expires to remind you to renew.
You must have maintained competency in all the classes you select to renew. If you do not select a class, it will be removed from your licence.
You can renew your licence up to 12 months after it expires if you want to carry out the high risk work again.
If you don’t renew your licence within 12 months of expiry you will have to redo the training with a registered training organisation, be reassessed as competent by an accredited assessor and submit a new application.
If you submit your renewal application before your licence expires, you can keep working as normal until you receive your renewal confirmation.
Select the ‘Renew now’ link below. It will take you to the Service NSW online application form.
Your fee will be calculated at the end of the online application.
Your application will take around 5 minutes to complete.
Renew now for an existing licence. Visit Service NSW or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 if you need help applying online.
Call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 to talk about your renewal options. If you need us to, we can mail a paper renewal application form to you.
You will need to take your completed renewal application form to a participating Australia Post with:
Visit Service NSW for instructions and help to find a participating Australia Post office, or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.
SafeWork NSW will:
If your licence is lost, stolen or destroyed you should replace it as soon as possible.
To replace your licence online, select the ‘Replace now’ link below. It will take you to the Service NSW online application form.
Replace now for an existing licence. Visit Service NSW if you need help applying online.
To replace your licence using a paper form, you can complete the replace a licence application form (PDF, 1362.49 KB).
You can pay to replace your licence by credit card or PayPal. You will get a receipt number, which you can enter on the replace a licence application form (PDF, 1362.49 KB).
Email your completed form to the SafeWork licensing team.
You must tell us within 14 days if your name, address or other details change.
You can change some of your details at Service NSW or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.
You will need to have completed your high risk work training with a registered training organisation like TAFE NSW.
You must have been assessed as competent by a SafeWork NSW accredited assessor working for the registered training organisation.
The assessor must assess your skills and knowledge under realistic workplace conditions.
High risk work licences are recognised nationally and you can work in any Australian state or territory if you have a current high risk work licence.
Your licence must be issued by the state or territory you usually live in.
If you have moved permanently to NSW from another Australian state or territory, you will need to transfer your high risk work licence to NSW.
We recommend you contact us as soon as you move. We will need to check your licence details with the issuing authority before we give you a NSW high risk work licence.
A high risk work licence can be transferred from, or into, NSW if the licence is current or within 12 months of expiry.
If your licence has expired beyond 12 months, you will have to redo the training with a registered training organisation, be reassessed as competent by an accredited assessor and submit a new application.
You must always keep your high risk work licence available for inspection by SafeWork NSW.
The digital high risk work licence is an added option for customers who prefer a digital version. It does not replace your plastic card.
You must always keep your plastic card available for inspection by SafeWork NSW.
Download the Service NSW app to get your digital high risk work licence.
Go to the Service NSW website to find out how to add your licence or call 13 77 88.
The NSW Government is working to digitise trade licences with the aim of improving customer service, providing convenience and making compliance with legislation easier. Other digital trade licences and credentials now available are the:
If you need help with your application or have a question, call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.
You can apply for a review. A review involves a different SafeWork officer, who was not involved in the original decision on your application.